ESIC Goa Advocate Empanelment 2026-29: Apply by 27 August
Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Regional Office-Panaji, Goa has invited applications from practising advocates for empanelment to represent ESIC before the High Court of Bombay at Goa, EI Courts, District Courts and JMFC Courts in North & South Goa for the period 2026-29. Applications must reach by 27 August 2026, 17:00 hours.
⚠️ Existing Panel Advocates Must Re-Apply — No Automatic Continuation
Advocates currently on the ESIC RO-Panaji panel will cease to be on the panel once the new panel is finalised under this notice. If you are an existing panel advocate, you are required to apply afresh — using the separate form at Annexure-III, not the fresh-applicant form. Failing to re-apply means falling off the panel entirely.
📋 Key Highlights
| Organisation | Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India |
| Office | Regional Office – Panchdeep Bhawan, Patto, Panaji, Goa – 403001 |
| Engagement | Empanelment of Advocates (Panel Counsel) |
| Notice No. | 32/T/11/11/07/2026/Empanelment of Advocate |
| Panel Period | 2026–2029 (ordinarily 3 years) |
| Courts Covered | High Court of Bombay at Goa; EI Court North & South Goa; District Court North & South Goa; JMFC Court North & South Goa |
| Eligibility | Bachelor Degree in Law; enrolled with Bar Council of India / State Bar Council; in active practice |
| Experience Required | Minimum 10 years (High Court / CAT benches); minimum 5 years (District-level courts & other forums) |
| Number of Posts | Not specified in the notice |
| Application Mode | Offline — physical application to ESIC RO-Panaji, Goa |
| Application Fee | No fee mentioned in the notice |
| Last Date | 27 August 2026, till 17:00 hours |
| Official Website | rogoa.esic.gov.in / esic.gov.in |
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About This Empanelment
Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India. ESIC defends its legal cases through a panel of advocates, and its Regional Office at Panaji, Goa is now constituting a fresh panel for the 2026-2029 period.
Practising advocates registered with the Bar Council of India or a State Bar Council, who have handled Labour Law matters and are well versed with the ESI Act and related Acts and Codes, are eligible to apply. Empanelment is for representing ESIC in legal matters within the State of Goa.
Courts You Can Apply For
The application form asks you to tick the court(s) you are applying for. The available options are:
| # | Court |
|---|---|
| 1 | High Court of Bombay at Goa |
| 2 | EI Court, North Goa |
| 3 | EI Court, South Goa |
| 4 | District Court, North Goa |
| 5 | District Court, South Goa |
| 6 | JMFC Court, North Goa |
| 7 | JMFC Court, South Goa |
Your envelope must be super-scribed with the court category you are applying for — see the "How to Apply" section below.
Eligibility Criteria
- Educational qualification: At least a Bachelor Degree in Law from a recognised University in India.
- Bar enrolment: Must be enrolled as an Advocate with the Bar Council of India and in active practice at the bar.
- Subject expertise: Should have handled Labour Law related cases and be well versed with the ESI Act and other related Acts and Codes.
- No conflict: Must not be handling any case at present against the Corporation.
- Professional standing: Sound professional reputation, good communication skills, and adequate office infrastructure (accessible office/chamber, staff, communication facilities).
Experience Requirement
| Forum | Minimum Professional Experience |
|---|---|
| Hon'ble High Courts and various benches of Hon'ble CAT | 10 years |
| District-level Courts and other forums | 5 years |
The Regional Director may relax the experience requirement or prescribe any additional qualification or condition as deemed fit.
Disqualifications
An advocate will be treated as ineligible for empanelment if:
- Any disciplinary proceeding is pending, or an adverse order has been passed by the Bar Council affecting professional conduct;
- Any criminal case involving moral turpitude is pending, or a conviction has been recorded;
- The advocate has suppressed material facts or submitted false information;
- There is an actual or potential conflict of interest with ESIC;
- Past performance with ESIC is found unsatisfactory.
Documents Required
The following documents must ordinarily be enclosed with the application:
- Copy of Law Degree and other educational qualification certificates
- Copy of valid enrolment/registration certificate issued by the Bar Council
- Copy of identity card issued by the Bar Association
- Copy of Government ID proof, PAN Card and Aadhaar Card
- CV/Resume including professional experience, areas of practice, list of clients and important cases handled
- Copies of empanelment letters issued by other authorities/entities, if any
- Income Tax Returns for the last two financial years
- Two recent colour passport-size photographs
- Undertaking and declaration regarding conflict of interest
⚠️ Applications Missing Documents Will Be Rejected at Scrutiny
The notice states plainly that applications received after the last date, or without essential documents, will be rejected at the scrutiny stage itself. There is no stated provision for submitting missing papers later — check your enclosure list carefully before dispatch.
How to Apply — Step by Step
- Download Annexure-I (terms & conditions) and read it fully, along with the main notice.
- Pick the correct form: Annexure-II if you are a fresh applicant; Annexure-III if you are an existing ESIC RO-Panaji panel advocate.
- Fill the form in block letters, tick the court(s) you are applying for, and affix your photograph.
- Complete all declarations — including disciplinary proceedings, criminal proceedings, and whether you are related to any ESIC employee.
- Sign the Undertaking (confirming accuracy, secrecy of ESIC cases, return of case files, and agreement to the ESIC fee schedule) with your Bar Enrolment number and mobile number.
- Attach all supporting documents listed in the "Documents Required" section above.
- Super-scribe the envelope: "Application for the Empanelment of Advocates for Hon'ble High Court of Bombay at Goa / Hon'ble EI Court (North & South Goa) / District Court North & South Goa / Labour Court North & South Goa" — as applicable to you.
- Send or deliver it to: Regional Director (I/c), Employees' State Insurance Corporation, Regional Office – Panchdeep Bhawan, EDC Plot No 23, Patto, Panaji, Goa – 403001, so that it reaches by 27 August 2026, 17:00 hours.
Selection Criteria
Selection is not automatic merely on submission of an application. A Committee will assess suitability on the basis of:
- Professional experience before the concerned Court/Tribunal
- Quality and nature of cases handled
- Experience in Government / PSU / statutory body litigation
- Knowledge of service, labour, insurance, recovery, medical, administrative and other areas relevant to ESIC
- Integrity, conduct and professional reputation
- Availability and responsiveness
- Office infrastructure and ability to coordinate electronically
- Performance in interaction/interview, wherever held
- Satisfactory past performance with ESIC, where applicable
The date, time, venue and mode of interaction will normally be communicated by email or letter (SMS may be used as an additional channel in exceptional circumstances). Empanelment is complete only when ESIC receives an acceptance letter from the advocate.
Duties of Empanelled Advocates
- Appear on every date of hearing; no ESIC matter may go unattended.
- Do not seek unnecessary adjournments, and oppose unjustified adjournments sought by the opposite party.
- Collect briefs/case papers promptly after assignment and coordinate with the concerned ESIC office for drafting, filing and arguing.
- Submit a brief hearing/status report after every hearing, with a copy of the order where available.
- Keep ESIC informed of important developments, next hearing dates, compliance requirements and litigation risks.
- Where a case is decided against ESIC, give a reasoned opinion on appeal/review within five working days of receiving the order, wherever urgent action is required.
- Maintain strict confidentiality — no sharing of ESIC case information with any third party, opposite party or the media.
- Do not advise or appear against ESIC during the empanelment period; disclose any conflict of interest immediately.
- Do not use the ESIC name, logo or symbol on letterhead, signboard, nameplate or publicity material.
- Return all case records/briefs whenever required or on cessation of empanelment.
⚠️ Conflict-of-Interest Extends to Your Spouse, Juniors and Firm Partners
The general conditions state that applicant advocates, or their spouse, juniors, or partners in their firm, should not represent the opposing party in cases against ESI Corporation under any circumstances. This is broader than a personal conflict check — consider your whole chamber before applying.
Removal / De-empanelment Grounds
An advocate may be removed from the panel for sufficient reasons, including:
- Submission of false or misleading information
- Failure to attend hearings without sufficient reason
- Failure to act as per ESIC instructions
- Frequent or unjustified adjournments
- Failure to submit hearing/status reports
- Breach of confidentiality or passing information to the opposite party/third party
- Accepting briefs against ESIC or conflict of interest
- Professional misconduct, misconduct with ESIC officials, or unsatisfactory performance
- Any act prejudicial to the interests of ESIC
Separately, ESIC reserves the right to terminate any advocate's empanelment at any time with 15 days' notice, and the panel itself may be discontinued earlier than three years for reasons recorded in writing.
Fees and Billing
- Fees payable are as prescribed by ESIC through its Office Memorandum on the subject. (The notice cites the OM reference in a garbled form — candidates should confirm the exact OM number and fee schedule directly with ESIC RO-Panaji rather than rely on the printed citation.)
- Bills raised for matters before a specific judicial or quasi-judicial forum are processed and paid by the office that assigned the case.
- Retainership fee is payable only to the Standing Counsel.
- Bills must be submitted in the prescribed manner with hearing details, orders and supporting documents.
⚠️ Empanelment Is Not a Guarantee of Work
ESIC states that empanelment confers only a right to be considered for legal work — it does not guarantee allotment of any case, nor any assurance that an applicant will be empanelled at all. ESIC also reserves the right to reject any application without assigning a reason, or to postpone or cancel the entire empanelment process at its sole discretion.
Frequently Asked Questions
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This post is based on the official notice (No. 32/T/11/11/07/2026/Empanelment of Advocate) and Annexures I, II and III issued by ESIC, Regional Office – Panaji, Goa. Note that the advertisement's date field was left blank in the published PDF, and the number of panel positions is not stated. Candidates are advised to verify all details from the official ESIC website before applying. Sarkari Nokrii does not provide any legal or career advice. The information is for informational purposes only.
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